From 2022 to 2025, the country recorded 406 verified incidents of xenophobia, predominantly in Gauteng, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape. This data is from the African Centre for Migration and Society.
On average, there are about 103 incidents of xenophobic discrimination annually, with 151 incidents recorded in 2025 alone, according to data from the society.
Xenophobic discrimination encompasses acts such as violence, denial of public services, eviction, extortion, harassment, selective enforcement of regulations, threats, illegal arrests and detentions, verbal abuse, hate speech, and intimidation.
Wits University immigration experts, Prof Loren Landau and Dr Pierre Misag, state that the government’s efforts to manage immigration tensions have so far only prompted vigilante groups to act outside the law.
“Our investigations show that in townships, ‘community development’ associations run protection rackets determining who can live, build, or conduct business in their ‘communities’”, said the researchers in a recent post on the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS) website. “They work in collaboration with local police to remove unwanted people.”
